B.B. King - Deuces Wild (1997)

Deuces Wild is the thirty fifth studio album by B. B. King released on November 4, 1997. Every song on the album features a second famous musician.
B.B. King, probably the most celebrated living blues player, has come a long way from Itta Bena, Mississippi, and this CD illustrates just how far. A series of guest shots by such artists as Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Eric Clapton, Mick Hucknall, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Joe Cocker, Marty Stuart, the Rolling Stones, and Willie Nelson, Deuces Wild is far removed from the blues King played in the '40s and '50s. It's more like psychodrama, especially in the case of the Cocker track, "Dangerous Mood." Nobody here, celebrity notwithstanding, is just going through the motions. The album's crass concept is redeemed by, among others, drummers Steve Jordan, Jim Keltner, and Charlie Watts. Although it's an overblown international project with no affinity for the meaning of the blues, the players and their love for the music triumph.
This is B.B.'s celebrity duet album, and a straight-ahead blues album this is not.
But longtime fans who are aware of King's genre-stretching capabilities will find much to savor here. Kicking off with B.B. playing some beautiful fills and solo work behind Van Morrison on "If You Love Me," the superstars start lining up to jam with the King, with Tracy Chapman ("The Thrill Is Gone"), Eric Clapton (a funkified "Rock Me Baby"), the Rolling Stones ("Paying the Cost to Be the Boss," with a fine harp solo from Mick Jagger), Willie Nelson (his "Nightlife," long a standard in B.B.'s set list), Bonnie Raitt ("Baby I Love You"), and Marty Stuart ("Confessin' the Blues") all turning in fine efforts. The only clinker aboard here is an ill-advised attempt to make a rap record with Heavy D, the execrable "Keep It Coming."

Track listing

01.  "If You Love Me"  (with Van Morrison)  - 5:48
02.  "The Thrill Is Gone"  (with Tracy Chapman) -  5:00
03.  "Rock Me Baby"  (with Eric Clapton)  - 6:38
04.  "Please Send Me Someone to Love"  (with Mick Hucknall)  - 4:16
05.  "Baby I Love You"  (with Bonnie Raitt)  - 4:00
06.  "Ain't Nobody Home"  (with D'Angelo)  - 5:18
07.  "Pauly's Birthday Boogie"  (with Jools Holland) (Bonus Track)  - 3:39
08.  "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere"  (with Dr. John)  - 4:50
09.  "Confessin' the Blues"  (with Marty Stuart)  - 4:32
10.  "Hummingbird"  (with Dionne Warwick) (Bonus Track)  - 4:20
11.  "Bring It Home to Me"  (with Paul Carrack) (Bonus Track)  - 3:10
12.  "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss"  (with The Rolling Stones)  - 3:35
13.  "Let the Good Times Roll"  (with Zucchero) (Bonus Track)  - 4:00
14.  "Dangerous Mood"  (with Joe Cocker)  - 4:55
15.  "Keep It Coming"  (with Heavy D)  - 3:57
16.  "Cryin' Won't Help You Babe"  (with David Gilmour & Paul Carrack)  - 4:12
17.  "Night Life"  (with Willie Nelson)  - 4:30

Tracks 7, 10, 11, 13: bonus tracks on the import edition (UK/Japan)

Credits
B.B. King - guitar
Paul Carrack - vocals, keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ
Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Marty Stuart, David Gilmour  - guitar, vocals
Bruce Dukov, Armen Garabedian, Berj Garabedian, Norman Hughes, Tamara Hatwan, Kenneth Yerke, Andrea Byers - violins
Robert Becker - viola
Larry Colbert, Marston Smith, Dane Little, Martin Tillman, Miles Tackett - cello
Joe Sublett - tenor saxophone
Brian Murray - trumpet
Jools Holland - piano
Leon Pendarvis - keyboards
Tommy Eyre - keyboards
Pino Palladino - bass
Andy Newmark, Charlie Watts - drums
Van Morrison, Tracy Chapman, Mick Hucknall, Dr. John, D'Angelo, Joe Cocker, Heavy D, Mick Jagger, Willie Nelson - vocals
Keith Richards, Ron Wood - guitar
Produced-by:  John Porter, Chris Lord-Alge

Notes
Release date:   November 4, 1997
Recorded at:  Cherokee Recording St; Conway Studio, Hollywood, CA; Sound Castle Studios, Silverlake, CA; Westside Studios, London, England
Genre:   Blues
Length:  61:31
© 1997

Label - MCA Records

B.B. King - B.B. King & Friends: 80 (2005)

Released the week of B.B. King's 80th birthday, 80 is a star-studded duets album, the first B.B. released since 1997's “Deuces Wild”. It was recorded in a variety of locations in the spring of 2005 and features a variety of guest artists, ranging from the familiar (Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Bobby Bland) to the unsurprising (Billy Gibbons, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Sheryl Crow) to the frankly bewildering (John Mayer, Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan).
Unfortunately, the material isn't quite as wide-ranging in fact, it leans toward the overly familiar, with a pleasant, thoroughly bland version of "The Thrill Is Gone" with Eric Clapton sadly living up to its title. There are a couple other bum tracks -- most notably the turgid slow blues "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere," which drags on for an interminable seven minutes, or a full six minutes longer than needed to prove that sultry blues is not Gloria Estefan's forte but for the most part, 80 plays better than it reads on paper.
Most of it is solid, straight-ahead big band blues, firmly within B.B.'s comfort zone and sounding appropriately comfortable not as in boring, but warm, relaxed, and friendly, whether he's playing with old friends like Bobby Bland or with John Mayer, who acquits himself well as a guitarist, even if his voice is overwhelmed by B.B.'s towering presence. There are couple of nice little surprises along the way, such as how "Ain't Nobody Home" with Daryl Hall works up a nice soulful groove or how Sheryl Crow reveals that she's a convincing blues singer (there are also some unpleasant surprises, as on "Tired of Your Jive," an otherwise fine track that's derailed by the realization that Billy Gibbons' voice has been torn to shreds, leaving a phlegmy mess behind), but the best moments come from the old guard of the British Invasion. Roger Daltrey proves that he's singing better than ever with "Never Make Your Move Too Soon," Elton John and his house band really cook on a terrific "Rock This House," but it's Van Morrison who steals the show with "Early in the Morning," a clean but down-and-dirty version of the standard.
It's the best thing here, but it's unfortunate that it kicks off the album, since it suggests that this might be a harder-hitting blues album than normal from B.B. It's not it's a slick, stylish, professional record, one that's actually a little more straightforward than he's been at any time since, well, "Deuces Wild". Coming after some truly interesting records over the last few years, the predictability of 80 is a bit of a disappointment, but there's still a bunch of good stuff to hear, and, no matter how you look at it, for B.B. to be recording and still sounding vital at 80 is a remarkable thing even if the album that commemorates his birthday falls short of the remarkable itself.

Track listing

01. "Early in the Morning"  (Dallas Bartley/Louis Jordan/Leo Hickman)  - 4:50  (with Van Morrison)
02. "Tired of Your Jive"  (Janet Despenza/Johnny Pate)  - 3:53  (with Billy Gibbons)
03. "The Thrill is Gone"  (Roy Hawkins/Rick Darnell)  - 5:03  (with Eric Clapton)
04. "Need Your Love So Bad"  (Mertis John Jr.)  - 3:58  (with Sheryl Crow)
05. "Ain't Nobody Home"  (Jerry Ragovoy)  - 3:52  (with Daryl Hall)
06. "Hummingbird"  (Leon Russell)  - 4:42  (with John Mayer)
07. "All Over Again"  (Carl B. Adams)  - 4:54  (with Mark Knopfler)
08. "Drivin' Wheel"  (Roosevelt Sykes)  - 4:20  (with Glenn Frey)
09. "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere"  (Doc Pomus/Mac Rebennack)  - 6:50  (with Gloria Estefan)
10. "Never Make Your Move Too Soon"  (Stix Hooper/Will Jennings)  - 4:59  (with Roger Daltrey)
11. "Funny How Time Slips Away"  (Willie Nelson)  - 4:09  (with Bobby Bland)
12. "Rock This House"  (James A. Lane)  - 3:07  (with Elton John)
13. "Early in the Morning"  - 3:57  (BB Solo Alt Version)

Credits
B.B. King - vocals, guitar
Glenn Frey, John Mayer , Billy Gibbons - vocals, guitar
Van Morrison - vocals, harmonica
Elton John - vocals, piano
Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Sheryl Crow, Bobby "Blue" Bland - vocals
Davey Johnstone , Dean Parks, Eric Clapton, Larry Campbell, Mark Knopfler, Clem Clemson - guitar
Brandon Fields - saxophone
Gary Grant, Jerry Hey - trumpet
William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. - trombone
Luke Smith - Hammond b-3 organ
Chris Stainton, Guy Babylon , Robbie Buchanan, Brian Mitchell - keyboards
Leland Sklar, Bob Birch - electric bass
T-Bone Wolk, Yolanda Charles - bass guitar
Nigel Olsson, Russ Kunkel, Ian Thomas , Billy Ward - drums
John Mahon - percussion
string arrangements by: David Campbell

Notes
Genre:  Blues, R&B, soul
Length:  54:29
Label:  Geffen Records

© 2005